Route 66 by Motorcycle
MOTORCYCLE TOUR
CHICAGO | SPRINGFIELD | ST. LOUIS | JOPLIN | AMARILLO | SANTA FE | GALLUP | GRAND CANYON | LAUGHLIN | LAS VEGAS | VICTORVILLE | LOS ANGELES
Ride along the world famous “Mother Road” highway by motorcycle. You begin your tour in Chicago and ride for 2400 exciting miles to Los Angeles; along the way pass through 8 states and make stops in some of the most beautiful and historic American cities.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Ride the legendary Route 66 by motorcycle and have an adventure of a lifetime
- Explore 8 states in just 15 days and cover an incredible 2400 miles
- Visit Santa Fe - one of America’s oldest and most beautiful cities
- Discover the vibrant cities of Chicago and Los Angeles
Click here to check out more holidays in America.
Your Itinerary
-
Day 1
-
Day 2
-
Day 3
-
Day 4
-
Day 5
-
Day 6
-
Day 7
-
Day 8
-
Day 9
-
Day 10
-
Day 11
-
Day 12
-
Day 13
-
Day 14
-
Day 15
Day 1 : Arrive Chicago
Welcome to the Windy City! Chicago is the biggest and most exciting of the Great Lake cities, with a stunning skyline along Lake Michigan, and a gamut of top-rated museums, restaurants and cafes, and innumerable bars and nightclubs that pay homage to the city’s strong jazz and blues heritage. Meet your fellow riders at an Orientation Meeting followed by a Welcome Dinner and celebration downtown!
Day 2 : Chicago – Springfield (187 miles)
This morning you pick up your bike and are off to the ultimate American road trip. From Chicago you head south along the Pontiac Trail, the original name for this bit of the road here, passing through Joliet, checking out the Launching Pad Giant, stopping at the amazing Route 66 Museum in Pontiac and generally getting a feel for the rubber on the Mother Road.
Day 3 : Springfield – St. Louis (116 miles)
Today we head towards St. Louis! You will stay primarily on the 2-lane sections of the Mother Road, traversing cornfields and small towns that represent the heartland of America. Arrival into St. Louis will be over the Chain of Rocks Bridge, the original bridge where Route 66 crossed the Mississippi River. Enjoy the short ride today into the “Gateway to the West,” St. Louis. This amazing city rests along the shores of the mighty Mississippi River and is home to some of the best live music and BBQ ribs in the country.
Day 4 : St. Louis - Joplin (335 miles)
Try to get up early to walk across the street today and enjoy an early morning view of the St. Louis Arch and Mississippi River. Leave the city in your mirrors and settle in to enjoy the rolling Missouri hills that make this area so beautiful and fun to ride in. See the famous World’s Largest Rocking Chair in Fanning, wind your way on the twisting roads of Devil’s Elbow, and stop at other Route 66 icons.
Day 5 : Joplin - Oklahoma City (255 miles)
Today is all about the route as you head west through the hills and horse country through Oklahoma, crossing Miami, Claremore and Catoosa, home of the legendary Blue Whale before passing through Tulsa. Travel through the reservations of several Native American tribes who were “settled” there after colonization, including the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Seminole, Creek and Cherokee. This evening stay in Oklahoma City, the heart and soul of Route 66. Maybe enjoy Bricktown, the neighbourhood in the heart of the city full of lively restaurants, bars and shops.
Day 6 : Oklahoma – Amarillo (266 miles)
This morning travel some of the oldest stretches of Oklahoma’s Route 66. Once the land of vast buffalo herds, this section of 66 traverses some of the great cattle trails which were used in the 1860s to drive herds of cattle from Texas up to the railhead in Abilene, Kansas. Ride along a section of the Chisholm Trial and stop at the amazing Route 66 Museum in Clinton. Then cross the border into the Texas Panhandle, the southernmost portion of the Great Plains and continue to Amarillo.
Day 7 : Amarillo – Santa Fe (303 miles)
Today you leave Texas and are on your way into “The Land of Enchantment”, New Mexico. After passing through the world famous Cadillac Ranch, stop at the midway point of the 66 in Adrian, Texas and the ghost town of Glen Rio, where you can stand with one foot in New Mexico and the other one in Texas. From there enter the land of the Comanche Indians, where mesas, mountains, cactus and pines define the landscape as you head up into the High Plains and altitude of Santa Fe in central New Mexico. Santa Fe is one of America’s oldest and most beautiful cities, and is your base for the next two nights.
Day 8 : Santa Fe
Today is at leisure to rest and enjoy the distinctive flavour of this nearly 400-year-old city.
Day 9 : Santa Fe – Gallup (271 miles)
Head south to Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city, sprawling at the heart of New Mexico, where the main east - west road and rail routes cross both the Rio Grande and the old road south to Mexico. Cross the Rio Grande and head west into the open country and the hues of the Navajo wilderness. You skirt mesas and bluffs into Laguna before riding through Grants and along Cibola National Forest towards the famous Route 66 town of Gallup, an old railroad town and Indian stronghold. Enjoy your stay tonight with a host of fellow riders from around the world.
Day 10 : Gallup – Grand Canyon (283 miles)
Today is another day full of spectacular scenery and iconic Route 66 stops. Cross into Arizona and ride to Petrified Forest National Park, a fossilized prehistoric forest of gigantic trees that has been unearthed by erosion. Here you will have the time to explore this stunning landscape and take a moment to get lost in the expansiveness that defines this area. Leaving Petrified Forest NP, travel further west to the Wigwam Hotel in Holbrook, and stop to stand on the corner in Winslow. While most groups stop in Flagstaff or Williams, Arizona, you will ride on to spend the night just one mile from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Tonight enjoy the sunset over the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Day 11 : Grand Canyon - Laughlin (256 miles)
For those looking to get a real “Bird’s Eye View” of the Grand Canyon there’s an optional morning helicopter ride over the heart of the South Rim. Leaving the Grand Canyon, pick up Route 66 back in Williams before heading to stops in the famous 66 towns of Seligman, Hackberry and Kingman, and Oatman before arriving at your Laughlin hotel on the shores of the Colorado River.
Day 12 : Laughlin – Las Vegas (129 miles)
Today is a quick ride for a little detour to take in the incredible sights and sounds of Las Vegas. The journey takes you through your first real taste of the Mojave Desert, and a ride across the famous Hoover Dam. One thing is for sure, your time in Vegas may be short, but it will sure be sweet; try to get a little bit of sleep because you pick up Route 66 tomorrow right where you left off yesterday.
Day 13 : Las Vegas – Victorville (282 miles)
Today cross the border into our final State on Route 66, California. Today is a day like no other as you cross the Mojave Desert which offers some of the most dramatic scenery in Southern California. You can imagine what it must have been like for early Route 66 travellers making their way across this huge expanse of desert, dotted with Joshua Trees, cactus, volcanic rock and sand as you stop in the tiny “waystations” of Amboy and Ludlow. Tonight, celebrate your last night on the Mother Road.
Day 14 : Victorville – Los Angeles (124 miles)
Today head off for your final destination – the end of the road on the Santa Monica Pier. To get there, however, you first get to ride the 66 miles of the Angeles Crest Highway through the mountainous terrain of Angeles National Forest. This highway is considered one of the top motorcycle rides in southern California and rises to over 2300 meters. Then descend the Crest into the Los Angeles Basin and head towards the Pacific Ocean. Riders always have mixed emotions as they stand at the “End of the Trail” sign on the Santa Monica Pier. There is a sense of joy and elation at having completed a journey most people only dream about, and a sense of sadness at the thought of the ride having come to an end. Tonight celebrate the miles you’ve ridden and the friends you made as you party together at a Farewell Dinner.
Day 15 : Los Angeles Departure
Today your exciting trip will conclude in Los Angeles. Please be sure to let us know if you need an extra night or two in L.A. to enjoy the sights
